Crohn’s disease pathology explained
Crohn’s disease is a chronic condition that causes the digestive tract to become inflamed. The type of Crohn’s disease depends on where in the gastrointestinal tract it is inflamed. Pathology is the branch of medical science that studies and diagnoses diseases based on examination of tissues and body fluids. It looks at the causes and effects, as technology has advanced the molecular background of this condition.
Crohn’s disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). IBD affects around 1.3 % of adults in the United States.
Crohn’s disease causes inflammation and irritation in the bowel, involving the entire thickness of the bowel lining. It most commonly affects the small intestine and the beginning of the large intestine and can have areas of skip lesions that are not affected. However, it can also affect any part of the digestive tract from the mouth to the anus.
Doctors are not sure exactly what causes Crohn’s disease. However, they believe it to be an autoimmune disease that can occur due to a combination of hereditary, genetic, and environmental factors. Diet and stress may worsen the condition, but they do not cause it.